The Rider

The short sentences, jumping backwards and forwards in time made the writing a little difficult to read but it allowed you to get into his head. He had interesting images to describe the agonies of bike racing.

Some reviewers commented on the arrogance of the author, demonstrated in the opening lines, and how that was a drawback, and deterred them from reading the book. Being a rider myself, but not a racer, the opening lines were indeed off-putting. But, once you get beyond the opening you quickly recognize where Krabbe is coming from; and why. Though the book covers more than just this one ride, the "Tour de Mont Aigoual", it is well intermixed with moments from Karbble's sport riding and pre-riding history, in a running commentary that takes place within the mind of a rider, in this case Krabbe's, during a race, in this case the roughly 4 hours that the 150K event took him to complete.This book isn't just about the ride, it is about the heart and soul of a rider pushing himself to the limits, and beyond, with the one intention of winning. It is about the interactions between riders in the field and on the course, and where teamwork plays a factor and where it does not. It is about the physical and emotional drain involved in wanting and trying to win an event of this caliber. It is an exceptional peek into the inner workings of the human mind and thoughts that occur during a bike ride; whether it be a non-race event or race.Here's what it is not, or more like here's what racing is not - it is not the be all and end all of life, nor is it a metaphor of any sort. Racing does not obliterate what is not racing to anyone other than those individuals who only live to race.

I read a lot of cycling books, and most of the time I'm pretty disappointed by them. They are generally one or more of the following: poorly written, boring, egotistical, or in the doping era gossipy or overly speculative. However this book cuts through all the crap and give you one thing, the inner thoughts of a racing cyclist. If you race, or have even just spent a lot of time in the saddle, this book will ring true and resonate with you. I've heard it said that 'cycling is boring only if you are.' Kind of a harsh point, but I take it to mean that a thinking person who rides has all sorts of entertaining thoughts running through their head when they get out on the road. Whereas others might just be... bored. Well Krabbe's Rider is the type of cyclist who thinks. And if you do too, you'll likely get a kick out of his free flowing thoughts. Most are related to the race at hand, other though are just tidbits of cycling insight. Some thoughts are even a little strange, but hey, who hasn't had a weird thought from time to time while riding? I rode across America a few years ago and one day I got the song 'Ten Little Indians' stuck in my head for like half of Kansas. Damn near drove me nuts... but my point is when your riding all day, you think of all sorts of stuff. But don't be misled, the vast majority of this book is about a bike race, a real race at that. I've learned things from this book that I took away and still value today. An example of which is the line: "cycling is about licking your opponent's plate clean before you start your own meal." If you race, you no doubt will understand the brutal truth there.

I'm not a cyclist by any stretch of the imagination, and am only a moderate fan of the sport in general. But Krabbé's novella, originally published in the Netherlands 25 years ago, has got to best one of the best fictional treatments of any sport. The book follows an competitive amateur rider through a half-day, 150 kilometer race over the very real Mont Aigoual in France. Krabbé is himself an avid amateur cyclist, and his ability to capture both the mental and physical aspects of the sport is uncanny. Although I've never raced a bike, I did run cross-country competitively, and many of the elements carry over-mainly the twin battle each individual faces with their brain and their body (There's one excellent moment when the rider wills his bike to get a flat so he can withdraw with honor.).The stripped-down prose style (common to all Krabbé's work), works especially well in the context of a race where the long distances can lead to almost a trance-like state. The mind wanders all over the place, and that is captured brilliantly in the rider's musings-for example, one part describes how he tries to invent words to keep himself amused during long, boring training rides. At the same time, the race itself is very tense, and Krabbé does quite well at describing the various tactical gambits employed along the way. The main competitors emerge as distinct figures-allies and foes in both a psychological and physical sense (I especially liked the unknown in the blue Cycles Goff jersey). Interwoven with it all are tidbits of cycling history, which are intermittently interesting to the non-racer.It's not a reach to call this a masterpiece of sports literature. The story does a remarkable job at conveying the tension and flow of a race to the outsider. At the same time, the insights into the psychology of the athlete are so acute as to be universally recognizable across cultures and sports.

Gives the reader a perspective on a road race but there are times when the author goes into a fantasy land of thought. Not sure if it’s the translation or his oxygen deprivation but I skipped most of it.

This book isn't long. It has about as many pages as there are kilometers in the mythical Tour de Mont Aigoual, so if you're a fast reader you could probably finish it in about the same time that it takes Krabbe, Reilhan, Barthelemy et al to cycle the course. How's that for realism? The book describes a race in which the author, himself a passionate racing cyclist, is participating. In between sections of commentary on this particular race we are treated to snippets of cycling history and folklore, of Krabbe's earlier sporting career, and of the flights of fantasy and philosophizing that pop unbidden into the mind of the weary rider as he pushes down one pedal after the other. This makes for a great deal of variety in such a slim volume that tells the story of just one race. No wonder this book has become a classic. The hopes, doubts, fears, joys and disappointments of the endurance athlete are all there. This book will appeal mostly but not exclusively to those interested in road racing and other endurance sports. I believe it can be enjoyed by anyone, with or without knowledge of cycling tactics and technicalities. I challenge you to read it without feeling an ache in your legs.

My heart dropped when a friend lent me a book about cycle racing as many descriptions of sporting glory rather bore me.This is a book with a difference - all the action is encompassed in one race, the Tour de Mont Aigoual. The sentiments in the story would appeal to any cyclist who has got caught up in the Cyclosportive boom currently underway. But it is not just about bike racing; it paints vivid characters of the 5 contestants in his group; it conjures incidents and personalities from the ages of bike racing earlier in the century when the riders depended on their own resources in tackling really tough conditions; it intersperses the narrative with flashbacks to his own childhood.This is not an epic book nor a trendsetter, but like some of the best it takes you by surprise and refreshes you.The pretentious back cover is perhaps worth quoting: "To say that the race is the metaphyor for life is to miss the point. The race is everything. It obliterates whatever isn't racing. Life is a metaphor for the race.And Tim Krabbe was a chess grandmaster before he took up cycle racing at the age of 30!

This book is cleverly written. It describes a single race but at various points the book goes back in the riders past and discusses points that link to a particular point on the race. It is also the sort of book that can be read again and still enjoyed because it has been so well written that it sort of carries you along as if you are there. If you are a keen cyclist buy it, you won't regret it.

Read about this in a magazine article reviewing the best books for triathletes. Bought it as a treat as I had just got a new job and devoured it in days.Highly recommended for anyone wanting to know why people cycle. And for those like me who do cycle but would like to more its inspirational to get on the saddle longer.

This account of a bike race in the 1970's puts you inside the mind of the author/competitor for the entire duration of the race. Tim Krabbe is also a chess Grandmaster, and there are many allusions to the similarities between chess and cycle racing strategies and psychology. I believe this story to be unique in its central focus on one view of one event, with many wider references to the world of competitive cycling. This is narrative at its compelling best. You will love it even if you have no interest in cycling. If you do have an interest, you quite simply HAVE to read this book!